Seguin Education Foundation awards annual round of grants
(Seguin) – Before leaving campus for this week’s Thanksgiving break, several teachers in the Seguin ISD received yet another reason to be thankful.
That’s because several teachers across the district were surprised in their classrooms last week with a 2022 Seguin Education Foundation Grant. This particular round of grants totaled just over $60,000.
Teachers were being surprised one by one with the news that the grant that they had submitted and worked so hard on was chosen to be funded by the foundation. Accompanying that news was a large check and the joyful sounds of the Seguin Matador Band that escorted SEF board members as they made their official “prize patrol” trek across the district.
Unable to fight back the tears as she learned the news was Science Teacher Sandra Torres, of Rodriguez Elementary School, who was awarded $1,773.54 for her Observation Station Master’s program.
“I’m so excited for science! I’ve ordered a weather station. I’ve ordered so many things – aprons, little supplies for the lab, posters to decorate, everything with the TEKS for science across the grade levels – a planet, solar system projector so they can actually experience the solar system in a classroom. There’s just so many things that I was able to put on this list. There’s a lot of things that the kids are going to be able to do with this and I’m working very closely with third, fourth and fifth graders and their teachers and just so excited for the potential that this has,” said Torres.
Applying for an education grant was also the first time for Torres.
“It’s the first grant that I ever applied for ever and I was so nervous, and I almost did not do it,” said Torres.
She says although it was her name on the check, it’s the students who are the real winners and encourages other teachers in the district to also give it a try next year.
“Just take your time. Write it all out. Put your feelings into it, what it means to you, what it means to the kids and go for it,” said Torres.
SEF Executive Director Kelly Follis says that $60,000 awarded to local teachers equaled to 22 grants across the district. She says although, they had $130,000 worth of grant applications submitted, the foundation had to deny more than twice that amount.
“I thank so much the community for contributing to the Seguin Education Foundation and our board that is amazing and gets out there and works and raises funds, but we are stepping it up. The more funds we raise, the more grants that we can give and that’s what we want to do because our teachers are just outstanding and it’s so rewarding to go out and see their faces when you present them with a check, and they are not getting a check for themselves. They are getting a check so that they can do great things in our classrooms at the Seguin ISD, and we just want to do everything that we can to help with that and we know our community does too,” said Follis.
Donations to the Seguin Education Foundation are accepted year-round. Those wishing to donate are asked to call 830-379-0325 or email kfollis@seguin.k12.tx.us. The community is also asked to follow the group on social media so that they can support the SEF during it various fundraisers throughout the year. Among its largest fundraiser is the annual SEF Mardi Gras. That event is slated for Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Seguin Coliseum.
